V2 Football Podcast: Questions for Jamie Lawrence

I'm happy to announce we have another guest this week - Former Jamacia midfielder Jamie Lawrence. He's played for Bradford, Leicester and Sunderland plus many more during his long career.
 
His wiki

James Hubert Lawrence (born 8 March 1970 in Battersea, London) is an English-born Jamaican professional footballer and former manager of Southern League side Ashford Town. He is currently signed as a player for Tooting & Mitcham United.
He notably played Premier League football for both Leicester City and Bradford City, having also played as a professional for Sunderland, Doncaster Rovers, Walsall, Wigan Athletic, Grimsby Town and Brentford before playing in the Non-League game for Worthing, Harrow Borough and Margate. He also represented Jamaica 24 times.[1]

Club career
Lawrence was, as a youth, involved in crime and in 1990 received a four-year prison sentence for a bank robbery. While playing for his prison side he was spotted by Cowes Sports, and then while playing for them spotted by Sunderland manager Terry Butcher.[2]
A brief spell at Doncaster Rovers followed, before he joined Premier League strugglers Leicester City in the 1994–95 season and just before leaving in 1997 he helped them win the Football League Cup, coming on as an extra time substitute during the replay.[3] Further to his contribution in the final, he also scored two goals (one in each leg) against Scarborough in an earlier round of the competition.[4] Although he was unable to save them from Premier League relegation in his first season at Filbert Street, Lawrence helped Leicester City win promotion at the first attempt via the Division One Football League play-offs.

He cost Bradford City manager Chris Kamara just £50,000 when he signed from Leicester City in 1997. Lawrence played a part in Bradford's promotion to the Premier League. Lawrence was also well known for his multi-coloured hair often drawing comparisons to the famous basketball player Dennis Rodman. He also helped Bradford City win promotion to the Premier League as Division One runners-up in 1999, though they lasted just two seasons in the top flight, and he remained with them until finally leaving in 2003, by which time he was one of their longest-serving players. After brief spells with Walsall, scoring once against Nottingham Forest,[5] and Wigan Athletic, his next port of call was to sign for Grimsby Town for the final few months of the 2003–2004 season, scoring on his debut against Chesterfield.[6] However, when The Mariners were relegated at the end of the season, Lawrence, and Town striker Isaiah Rankin signed for Brentford.

After making only 14 league appearances for Brentford during the 2004–2005 season, Lawrence departed at the end of the season. He remained a free agent throughout the 2005–2006 campaign, and in this year, he became the author of his own autobiography From Prison to the Premiership, published in 2006, which was co-authored with Ron Shillingford. At the start of the 2006–2007 season, he signed with non league outfit Worthing,where he remained for one season. He then went on to play for Harrow Borough during the 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 seasons. On 9 December 2008, Lawrence was carried off the pitch during a Middlesex Senior Cup between Harrow and Enfield Town following a collision with another player. Following the incident, he underwent surgery for treatment on a cut in his right knee; surgeons left two stitches in the wound, and as a result Lawrence contracted the MRSA superbug.[7][8] whilst at Harrow he also opened a football school in Tooting, London.[9]

Managerial career
He joined Margate at the start of the 2009–10 season. He made two appearances for Margate before being appointed player–manager of Ashford Town.[10] Jamie combined playing with his position as the club's manager making 52 appearances and scoring twice while also leading the club to winning the Southern Combination Cup. However, league form was disappointing and Jamie Lawrence resigned as manager at Ashford in June 2011. In September 2011, he signed for Cobham as a player.
International career
His debut for Jamaica came in a 1–0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on 28 February 2001.[11]
 
We're also like your thoughts on the Transfer Window - What was your Best, Most Surprising and Pointless Transfer of the Summer
 
If you have a question for him, please leave a comment or e-mail football@v2journal.com
 
You can also follow us on twitter @v2football

Q for Jamie - Obviously prison has monumental effects on people's lives and family's. Did you ever stop for a second during marches in the Premiership thinking how did I get here? And looking back after playing in the top two divisions do you have moments when you think what could have been so different.

Transfer thoughts - 2nd window in a row where Chelsea need to add a striker. So we add one and then take one away. Don't think the window will change who finishes in the top 4. I think West Brom are going down. Ozil joining Arsenal is similar to Willian joining Chelsea. Brilliant signing but not essential. Makes the fans happy more than improve trophy chances.

Best signing - Samuel Eto'o on a free.

Most surprising signing -  Domestic is probably Ozil to Arsenal and nobody tried to snag him last minute. But the biggest surprise has to be Boateng from Milan to Schalke for €12m.

Pointless - Anichebe. His record is atrocious. He's clumsy and always seems so surprised he's got a chance when he has time to use his brain he fluffs it. West Brom would do better signing Ade Akinbiyi.

Question for Jamie - Are you currently playing for Lingfield Football Club? Hows it going and what sort of crowds do you play infront of in Sussex County League One?

Next Question - I know you were playing for Tooting and Mitcham last season - There ground is probably football league standard, so why are they so low in the footballing pyramid and why are they struggling in the Ryman South?

Serious question - I have organised a cricket match in Greenwich Park on Saturday 14 September - does he fancy a game? We'll provide whites, and let him open the batting.

Best Transfer of the summer - Leroy Fer for £4 million to us. He won't be with us long, far too good.

Worst Transfer of the summer - Victor Anichebe to WBA for £6 million. You could get 3 Michu's for that. I literally laughed out loud when I saw the fee.

Most pointless transfer of the summer - Carlo Nash from Stoke to Norwich. Doesn't need any explanation.

Jamie after the recent athletics Jamaican drugs revelations, do you believe drugs are prevelant in sports? Did you ever know anyone who took performance enhancing drugs?

Azzy Mahmood wrote:Serious question - I have organised a cricket match in Greenwich Park on Saturday 14 September - does he fancy a game? We'll provide whites, and let him open the batting.

Is it a charity game, Azzy?

Best Signing: Mezut Ozil

A lot of money but great to see Arsenal splashing the cash and signing a world class player rather than selling one. Think Arsenal still had a really bad window but this signing was excellent, it's almost the cherry on top of a cake except Arsenal forgot to make the cake.

Worst Transfer: Victor Anichebe

A possible £6 million spent on a pretty useless striker who very rarely scores goals and doesn't have an all round game. He's 25 so he's hitting his peak rather than being one for the future. Spending a high loan fee and wages of Lukaku just to have him for a year would have been better.

Most Surprising: Stephane Sessegnon

Surprised that West Brom spent £6 million on another player, surprised Sunderland sold the player who's arguably been their best player for the last couple of years. I'm not sure it's a great move for anybody to be honest, they will need him to be a lot more consistent to justify his price tag I feel.

Most Pointless Transfer: Willian

Excellent player, but Chelsea don't need him, spent £30 million on him from seemingly nowhere just to spite Spurs it seems.

VDT wrote:

Azzy Mahmood wrote:Serious question - I have organised a cricket match in Greenwich Park on Saturday 14 September - does he fancy a game? We'll provide whites, and let him open the batting.

Is it a charity game, Azzy?

Sort of - I'm asking players to pay £10 each, which will give us £220, minus the cost of the pitch leaves £115. Which we'll donate to the charity of the winner's choice. Not much, but it's museum staff playing a game and we don't earn much

For Jamie:

Whilst playing for Jamaica you played against a Brazil side containing the original Ronaldo, how special was that game for you?

You run a Football Academy now to develop talent, what obstacles have you faced as part of that?